When I wrote my book titled “Hardware for Hitler: How the Animal Trap Company Helped Win World War II,” I knew I had too much material to put into one book, so I specifically kept the material about the Conibear trap out and have put that material into this book with a focus on Frank R. Conibear’s life from being part of the first white family in the Northwest Territories to his continuous improvements to his Conibear trap patents.
\n\nSome may argue that Eric Collier played as much a role in the revolutionization of trapping with the Conibear trap and many of his articles and letters about the subject are included. I do not disagree with this argument, but, unfortunately, Frank, the patent holder, was the main beneficiary of all funds made by the trap outside of the Animal Trap Company and was called upon to make all decisions as requested by them.
\n\nAs you will see in the correspondence, Collier and Frank’s relationship deteriorated over time. Collier’s relationship with the Animal Trap Company did not fare any better. Once Frank won awards for the humaneness of the trap, Collier’s critical comments of the trap lessoned and at the end, Collier asked the Animal Trap Company if trappers in British Columbia could get the Conibear traps at a reduced price.
\n\nThe Animal Trap Company of America changed their name to Woodstream in 1966. I tried to use the correct company name based on when an event happened, but the terms are interchangeable if I got anything incorrect. If an event covered both time periods, then Woodstream was used.
\n\nRichard (Dick) Woolworth (son of Chester Woolworth) made some interesting comments about Animal Trap Company’s involvement with the Conibear trap. He also discussed other business ventures he was involved with including Old Pal and Abercrombie & Fitch. He specifically discussed non-fogging sunglasses and marketing the sunglasses through Abercrombie & Fitch.
\n\nThis book uses many letters, memorandums, court cases and articles about the Conibear family. Many are quoted verbatim to ensure historical accuracy. Several well-known trappers are quoted or mentioned in the Herter’s section including E.J. Dailey, O.L. Butcher, Arthur V. Harding (son of A.R. Harding), S. Stanley Hawbaker and Elihu S. Abbott.
\n\nAs you can see from the assistance acknowledgement, I utilized many different institutions for information in Canada. Since I did not grow up in Canada, I lack the general understanding of their government. I tried to note where information came from, but I acknowledge that I do not understand the Canadian Government hierarchy, so may have gotten some Governmental information incorrect.
\nMultiple sources were used in this book. You may find that different sources had conflicting information. I did not correct the conflict if I could not confirm either.
Please note that some events in this book occurred over one hundred years ago and to keep the material historically accurate, I did not change descriptions of practices that may be illegal today. Please consider this when reading and keep in mind that this was done for a historically accurate book.
\n\nI hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. As I always do, I learned many facts about the Conibear family and the legacy of the Conibear trap. One of the fascinating things I learned was about Frank’s management of the Conibear House which helped open the Northwest Territories to prospecting and mining exploration. I had previously thought of him only as a trapper, I hope you too find things you did not know as you read this book.
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/15e6d264-effa-4af2-b3b2-40482b939541/lost_conibear.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "6a9227dc-bde0-479d-9cd7-41abad9963c6", "name": "Hardware for Hitler: How the Animal Trap Company of America Helped Win World War II", "subtitle": "", "description": "How could a small trap manufacturing company in rural Pennsylvania have an impact on World War II and provide essential war products to the war effort? To understand this, a person has to look at the family leading the company and the members ultimately being forged in the fire of World War I along with survival of the Great Depression.
\n\nThe Animal Trap Company of America (ATC) had its manufacturing peak during World War II shown by the number of employees working to provide the essential war products. The main product was armor piercing bullet cores for the US and British military. The manufacturing capabilities were adjusted to make these crucial items in the space usually meant for trap production.
\n\nATC’s history can easily be divided into three components - pre-World War II domination of steel trap production, World War II, and post-World War II diversification into outdoor products. Without the period of domination in the world of steel traps, the Animal Trap Company of America would not have learned how to quickly develop manufacturing techniques or take techniques from other companies and quickly assimilate them for production. This was their biggest strength for the production of war materials.
\n\nOne example of this was using the same emery belt that finished lathe-turned wood decoys to polish the noses of incendiary bombs. ATC was the first company in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to manufacture products for the Armed Forces, army cots in 1940, and through the following war years thirty-eight different items of which bullet cores provided the largest quantity, three hundred million of them.
\n\nMany employees also served in World War II, 154 total. Six employees were killed while serving in the United States Armed Services. ATC provided a great source of morale to troops serving overseas with the ATCO News, a company newspaper sent to all employees. Sources of morale for those who supported from home included War Bond drives, Health programs, and Victory Gardens, to name a few.
\n\nSince the story of ATC cannot be told without including the Woolworth family, I will refer to them by their first names throughout the book to reduce confusion about which Woolworth is doing what – Felix, Chester, and Richard. Richard is a recurring name in the Woolworth family, but the Richard that will be focused on in this book is the son of Chester. He will be referred to as Dick.
\n\nI did not include every trap made by ATC but focused on major trap break throughs that kept ATC viable including Conibear, stop loss, mouse traps and information on development. I tried to include information the reader may not be as familiar with including many products outside of traps, companies purchased and partnered with, and any other unique information. Learn where John U. Lehn got the idea for the Stop Loss trap.
\n\nAt one point, Chester said ATC had over 100 patents starting with ATC and not including ones from Oneida Community Ltd. Let’s see how many I find. I did not include all of them, but if someone is interested in patents ATC had that were not included, I can help you find them. It was common practice for ATC to claim patents on items manufactured by others before ATC purchased the company which did not have patents.
\n\nThis book gives information from the competitor’s view to Diamond, Triumph, and Gibbs. Learn about the “hideout accounts” Triumph had, the true date HSB & Co quit carrying Triumph REV-O-NOC Traps from someone inside HSB&Co, about Gibbs’ sinking fund and even though ATC bought him out, how long Gibbs caused them financial troubles and court cases. It was longer than they thought it would be. Learn what Triumph trap parts ATC was looking to copy in their own traps. Ever wonder how many Triumph No. 2XAs were made. This book includes how many Gibbs had when he sold his business.
\n\nIn my book “Perfect Triumph” I asked a question about the Corbin stretcher, I found the answer plus more. I also found more information on other employees of Triumph and Gibbs with an additional photograph of one.
\nDuring Chapter 1, I use the full names of Animal Trap Company and Animal Trap Company of America as they were two different things. After Chapter 1, I use ATC which should be assumed to be Animal Trap Company of America.
\nThis book covers the years of 1924 to 1966 mainly focusing on ATC. Although info about Oneida Community Ltd and Woodstream were included, it was kept to a minimum except to start and end the book.
The employees of the Animal Trap Company of America referred to the organization as the “Trappie” or “Trappy” spelled out differently in different letters and articles. For consistency, it is spelled out as “Trappy” in this book.
\nAs part of the research for this book, all ATC Directors Meeting minutes from 1924 to 1966 were reviewed. Many short snippets of information provided by those were included along with dates of comment.
This book contains information from the 1920s to the 1960s. Some information included could be considered offensive to some since it is from a different time period. The information was included to provide a historically accurate book. Nothing more than historical accuracy should be inferred.
\n\nSlot car racing cases, roller skates, clothes pins, ski equipment and General Motors fender covers – what do these five things have in common, they were all made by the Animal Trap Company of America. While researching this book, I found many things that I did not know about the Company. When you are done reading this book, I hope you are like me and can say “Wow, I did not know that.”
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/4a1836bf-3d87-475c-b7fe-b7ac28e37d5e/hardware_for_hitler.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "87f025cf-7941-4b20-8b8a-76c54e7759e2", "name": "Arnold Unknown: The Complete, Untold Life of the Maine Legend", "subtitle": "Walter Lewellen Arnold<br/>1894-1980", "description": "This book covers Walter’s life from cradle to grave, including his original birth certificate, to his first article in the 1914 Hunter Trader Trapper, and finally, his last Holiday Greetings letter in 1980. If you want to know the legend from head to toe, this is the book for you.
\n\nAlthough all know of Walter’s legacy of trapping, he was much more; an author, logger, farmer, fisher, hunter, guide, gummer, pearler, bottle hunter, historian, biologist, carpenter, lover of wildlife, fur farmer, ginseng hunter, goat trapper, stamp collector, air raid warden, reemployment committeeman, veteran, veterinarian, game warden, photographer, city slicker, bait dealer, house cat owner, school trustee, stockholder and mostly a man of common sense and good humor. Although trapping is included in this book, my goal is to shed light on the other parts of Walter’s life. He was easily quotable, making common sense and poignant comments about all aspects of life. I have included many of them. If a photograph caption is in quotes, it came from Walter.
\n\nWith all aspects of history, there are different points of view as to what happened when. This book is no different. Since I was not there when these events happened, all I can do is write what I found and let you, the reader, determine what you want to believe or disregard. At times, Walter wrote conflicting information. I contribute this to the passage of years and a memory that had the general thought of an event but may have lost the detail of time.
\n\nI wanted to write this book because of the connection Walter had to the Triumph Trap Company. If you have read my other books, you will know all have that connection. With Walter, he was a jobber selling many of their traps. Because he was a writer as well, he was able to use that platform to advertise Triumph Traps. In my research, I have found no one else referred to large sized Triumph Traps as much as Walter did. He often included references about the Triumph No. 415, No. 415X, No. 31X and No. 42X Ranger in his articles. I have included many examples of those references.
\n\nPlease note that parts of this book are written about practices from long ago. Many of these practices are illegal or not socially acceptable today. My intent in including them is not to glorify them in any way. My intent is to show a picture of what the conditions were when Walter lived. Also, all towns are in Maine unless noted otherwise.
\n\nPart of Walter’s legacy includes the contacts he made with numerous people through the course of his life. I have included several photographs of those people along with comments Walter made about them. Some of the photographs are of well-known trappers including EJ Dailey, Herb Lenon, Ed Danko, Pat Sedlak, V.E. Lynch, O.L. Butcher, Frank Terry, Oscar Cronk, Jim Mast, and others. Walter also corresponded with other notable trappers including George Thiessen, Edwin F. Keith, John Kleffman, Ed Howe, Claude E. Marble, Raymond Thompson, Willie T. Harmon, Walter A. Gibbs, Frances E. Adams, Gene Hill, and Pete Rickard.
\n\nWalter’s trapping partners included his father, brother, Clifton McIntire, Adin Green, Bill Gourley, Walter Tozier, Stan Howland, Paul Stubbs Jr and Wendell Shaw. He was heavily influenced by his interaction with Margaret Brown Glassford, Howard Whiting, Charlie Temple, and Robert and Terris Moore.
\n\nHe had many pets, mostly wildlife, with one exception – Berg, a farm cat. His wildlife pets included Elmer Gnawwood – the beaver, Chuck – the woodchuck, Harry and Harriet – woodpeckers, Susie – deer, Gentleman Jim – Susie’s son, Red Wing – Susie’s daughter and Red – the fox.
\n\nPhotographs in this book were taken long ago by Walter or others. Many had imperfections on them. I did not try to enhance or repair the photographs as many were one of a kind.
\n\nOver two hundred articles by and about Walter were researched for this book. I probably missed some that I do not know about. I know I missed one for sure unless it was never written.
\n\nFrom November 1961 to September 1964, Walter had a series of articles in Fur Fish Game titled “From the Deacon Seat.” The first one was in November 1961 with a continuation in December 1961. Chapter Two was in the July 1962 issue and Chapter Four was in the September 1964 issue. I could not find Chapter Three in issues August 1962 to August 1964. Did he forget a chapter or did I miss it? If you find Chapter Three, I would be interested in a copy.
\n\nWhere space allowed, I included photos of Walter’s Friends and Customers throughout the book. I also included Walter’s comments. This is just a small sample of the best photographs and comments.
\nWalter was easily quotable, so I will start the book with a quote that will lay the groundwork. In 1977, Walter made the following comment.
\n
I have farmed and trapped and guided and run trout hatcheries and bossed the river and run a trapper’s mail order business and written four books on trapping and lived in the woods. Mister, I like to do things.
\n\nAs you read through the book, I think you will agree the last sentence was an understatement.
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/963fe1a9-21bd-4a9e-ba6d-7159379b3981/p12.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "9687b3af-d549-4ba4-bbc7-1fdec3b9553b", "name": "Perfect Triumph: Places, Faces and Cases of the Triumph Trap Company", "subtitle": "Oneida, New York<br/>1913-1935", "description": "The following is an excerpt from my fourth book titled Perfect Triumph: Places, Faces and Cases of the Triumph Trap Company, Oneida, New York, 1913-1935. This book has 306 pages and 210 images:
\n\n"In the spring of 1913, Henry A. Constantine considered locating the new trap manufacturing company in Niagara Falls, New York and calling it the Niagara Game Trap Company. He inquired about manufacturing sites and studied the labor conditions. He found that a satisfactory site could not be obtained with real estate being very expensive. Available labor conditions were not satisfactory either.
\n\nConstantine then visited Oneida and met with the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Thomas A. Devereux. Devereux presented the advantages of locating a manufacturing plant in Oneida. They included real estate being available for purchase at lower prices, lower rent, Oneida was free of labor disputes, and abundant labor experienced in trap manufacturing. Because of those reasons, the decision was made to incorporate under the name Oneida Game Trap Company instead of Niagara Game Trap Company.
\n\nA site for the building of a factory could not be located. Constantine wanted to be located near the right of way of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad or near the Ontario and Western Railroad. The major advantage of locating near a railroad was the convenience of shipping. He asked Devereux to help locate a site. Several locations were suggested but they either could not be purchased or were not suitable for a building site.
\n\nDevereux suggested a possible location on the northerly side of the West Shore Railroad near that railroad’s freight station. It was formerly known as the Oneida Castle Station. This was the only satisfactory location that could be found for sale at the time. Constantine secured an option on the property and the option was later assigned to him making him the owner.
\n\nEugene F. Kitendaugh, Oneida Community Limited Legal Department, pointed out the interesting connection that all of the traps shipped out by Oneida Community Limited were under the Bill of Lading of Oneida Castle. The identical spot where the property was purchased. He said “if this scheme is carried out” both company’s shipments will have the same Bill of Lading out of the same freight depot. Kitendaugh believed the name of Oneida Game Trap Company and the location of the factory with a Bill of Lading of Oneida Castle out of the same freight depot as Oneida Community Limited was intentionally done to identify the new business as closely as possible with the business of Oneida Community Limited. Kitendaugh questioned whether this interaction with the president of the Chamber of Commerce even happened as Devereux would later be an attorney for the Oneida Game Trap Company.
\n\nOn May 10, 1913, Constantine received information from the officers of the Chamber of Commerce that it was possible to obtain manufacturing space in the building known as the industrial building located on James Street near the freight depot of the New York Central and the Hudson River Railroad Company. He entered into an arrangement with the owners to occupy part of the building for trap manufacturing and took possession on May 10, 1913. Thus began the tumultuous twenty two years the Triumph Trap Company was in business."
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/4e7989d3-6781-4eec-8d3a-fa11360d97f3/p11.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "25971999-61a5-448d-bdf9-64808818fc70", "name": "Walter A. Gibbs: Ohio Trains, Triumph Traps & Maryland Muskrats", "subtitle": "1869-1941", "description": "Walter A. Gibbs was a trapper and trap manufacturer in the early 1900s. Unlike other trappers of the time, he did not focus on this type of work until after he had retired from a career in electric trains. Most trappers had to earn their way through the trapping field and earned a meager living while establishing themselves. Walter already had money and a Harvard education, so he could use his resources to establish himself as a world renown trap manufacturer.
\n\nBecause of his financial resources, Walter was able to buy what he needed to research and support his obsessions. He was able to buy marshes in multiple states, a building for a trap factory and the Triumph Trap Company. He was also able to pay men to trap for him and help him research his inventions.
\n\nWalter was not only instrumental in trap improvement but also in the knowledge of muskrat biology. His marsh was used as a research location by federal agencies and information used there would impact muskrat management worldwide. He made in-depth research into muskrat breeding programs and farming.
\n\nHe also revolutionized the capture of live muskrats for shipping to other areas to restock areas lacking muskrats because of over trapping. His trap inventions allowed a large number of unharmed muskrats to be shipped worldwide. Without these traps, this market would have floundered.
\n\nBecause of his career in electric trains, Walter was very detailed oriented, and sure of himself and his inventions. He was not afraid to go to court to protect what he considered correct or his patents from infringement. Walter was part of numerous court cases throughout his life, but most were during his trap manufacturing and muskrat farming days.
\n\nWalter was a religious man and stood by his convictions. He also held others accountable for their actions. One of his many court cases included a very public accusation of inappropriate behavior by a reverend. He used local newspapers to make his accusation and the reverend filed a court case against Walter for these accusations.
\n\nTo tell a complete story of the time and the culture in which Walter lived, I included observations and stories from other persons to show all aspects of the time and place. The other persons referenced include Edwin LeCompte, E.J. Dailey, Richard K. “Dick” Wood, Vernon Bailey and many others. I also included information about local impacts Walter had and activities that are inherent to Dorchester County, Maryland.
\n\nAfter his retirement, all of the energy and attention to detail that Walter directed to his career was focused on improvements in trap manufacture and the capture of muskrats. He developed many unique and important trap improvements. Many are still used today and were important to the modernization of traps and trapping techniques.
\n\nHe was able to pay attorneys to defend his patented inventions from infringement. Walter was not afraid to go to court as either the petitioner or the defendant.
\n\nHe lived in a black and white world. In his mind, things were either right or wrong and, if someone said he was wrong, he had no qualms about going to court to prove himself right.
\n\nHis litigious nature may have been his downfall in the end. After winning two infringement cases against Triumph, Walter bought the company at a price higher than should have been paid. He had financially wounded Triumph and then tried to put them back together.
\n\nBecause of the patent infringement in the Montgomery Ward case, Triumph discontinued some of their best traps in the coil spring powered Kangaroo traps. Walter forced them to find a coil spring powered trap that would not infringe on his patent. The result was the Easy Set and Master Grip traps. These traps were more expensive to make because they used more metal. Trappers found they were bulky and had less holding power than the Kangaroo traps resulting in lower sales.
\n\nThe decline of sales led to Walter being able to buy Triumph. If he would not have won those cases, Walter probably would never have been able to buy Triumph. The patent infringement cases were ultimately the reason Walter had to sell, though, as he could not turn the decline around.
\n\nI wonder if Walter had the ability to do it over, if he would take the same actions. What am I thinking? Of course, he would do it exactly the same. Why? Because he thought he was right and he had to prove it. 300 pages, 190 photographs.
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/846d459a-dc02-4948-9e95-afe937611ffb/p10.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "09a150b2-9790-4714-93b1-510d268c32ac", "name": "E. J. Dailey: The Last Adirondack Trapper", "subtitle": "", "description": "As the trapping industry continues to evolve in the face of urbanization and the animal rights movement, it is wise to look back at the pioneers of our industry. History is important because it helps us appreciate our ideological ancestors as well as learn from their stories, experiences, advice and failures. Mr. Dahms has helped us to do that by compiling information about the life of a trapper who truly did it all, named E.J. Dailey. Dailey had the unique opportunity to trap before, during, and after American transitioned from an agricultural society to an urban one. For example, E.J. was an early user of the automobile for running a trapline. He was truly a trapping Renaissance Man. He was a trapper, fur buyer, lure maker, writer of at least 5 books and scores of articles, and trapping advocate.
\n\nDahms’ focusses his biography on Dailey’s life as it related to trapping. Dahms, usually in chronological order, relates E.J.’s life on various traplines, his trapping partners, his work as a writer for Fur-Fish-Game, his political life as a founder of the American Trapper’s Association and advocate for furbearer conservation. It is said that there is nothing new under the sun and that if you wait long enough you will see history repeat itself. Dailey’s life certainly proves that as the struggles he had with the Anti-Steel Trap League, hunter groups, unscrupulous trappers, trap thieves, and the predator control agency run by the Federal government mirrors challenges fur trappers have today. Dailey’s responses to these challenges can speak to us today by helping us reflect on our own behavior. While I cannot affirm every choice Dailey made (his treatment of trap thieves could get one in real trouble today), I did appreciate his integrity and convictions. For example, Dailey strongly supported wildlife conservation. He believed that trappers should restrain from trapping until fur was prime and that proper regulations should be established to ensure that furbearers were not overharvested. While those principles may be taken for granted by most trappers today, I suspect that they were quite novel in his day.
\n\nFor those looking for inspiration, this is the book for you. Dahms peppers the books with many of Dailey’s priceless quotes, such as “It isn’t the amount that I took from the grounds that really counts, but the amount that I left there to propagate for future seasons.”
\n\nIf those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it, then it behooves trappers who love this industry to learn from those that have gone before, such as the life of E.J. Dailey. 300 pages, 180 photographs.
\n", "images": ["https://images.marketpath.com/40eedc99-d007-462c-8abb-d8334461f7eb/image/dd701c27-8a90-4f50-a9d8-86655d0f2f80/p9.jpg"],"allowCustomerNotes": false, "price": 30, "isTaxable": false, "taxPerUnit": 0, "isShippable": true, "selections": [{ "guid": "8ac2d4a1-6f58-4574-87db-cb2ebd71ef98", "name": "Use Priority Shipping", "description": "Use Priority Shipping", "options": [{ "guid": "57a1b57c-cab8-4b3d-baac-4ce75a5c8f72", "name": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "description": "Shipping: No / Media Mail", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 0 },{ "guid": "111672da-6d9d-4da3-a17d-c84006704b44", "name": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "description": "Shipping: Yes / Priority", "price_decrease": "no", "is_percent": "no", "amount": 5.07 }] }] }, { "guid": "ab639d31-d1b0-4f9c-ad9b-e34a40af5f8d", "name": "O.L. Butcher - Calling All Trappers", "subtitle": "1897-1967", "description": "The most common question I would always get was “Have you thought about doing a book about O.L. Butcher?” My answer was always that I had, but I had not been able to find a source of information besides his catalogs and books. It is really hard to write a book with only those items for information.
\n\nAll that would change at the Northeast Regional National Trappers Association Convention in Bethel Maine at Neil Olson’s in 2025. A chance meeting of an individual who asked me the same question as I usually get, to which I responded with the usual answer I give. After our talk, unknown to me, he talked to someone who could help me. He went out of his way to put me in contact with a gentleman who knew a couple people who were supportive of the book and sharing their information. The foundation for this book was built.
\n\nTwo weeks later, I would meet these supportive people at the New York State Trappers Association convention. I was given the opportunity to scan the photographs and information they had. It took me five hours to scan five hundred photographs, of which most are included in this book. A stop at the Trap Museum in Galloway, Ohio on the way home and discussions with the Washington County, New York, Historian rounded out the research. Usually, research for a book can take six months to a year depending on sources, this one took two weeks, unheard of when starting from scratch.
\n\nOne drawback was that Okey had not written as many magazine articles as Dick Wood, EJ Dailey or Walter Arnold to use for source information. There were some articles. However, as noted above, a number of photographs were also available providing their own storyline. So, some chapters are primarily photographs, but they say each is worth a thousand words.
\n\nOkey’s lures were known nationwide with a reputation for quality and effectiveness. Jim Geffert of Night Owl Lures told me that in comparisons of catches between Okey’s lures and E.J. Dailey’s lures, that he had better success with Okey’s.
\n\nOkey’s love of the red fox is evident with the many pictures of him with litters of small ones, all with leashes and collars. He carried for them the same as domestic dogs, he would get them shots and feed them appropriately. They were tame and provided the urine for his business to sell. He went through many tame foxes with some being allowed in the house, similar to a dog.
\n\nOne thing that cannot be understated is the importance that Alice, Okey’s second wife, had on him and his business especially after he died in 1967. She was thirty years younger than him and ran the business for another twenty years with the eventual sellout in 1986. She fished, trapped and even hunted bear. In the 1962-1963 catalog, Okey had a caption that read “Women Trap Too” under a photograph of Alice.
\n\nI also recommend getting the DVD titled “Trapping with O.L. Butcher” available through my website. It is an hour-long movie showing O.L. Butcher on the line making catches of fox, coyote, bobcat, fisher, mink and beaver in the Adirondacks. It shows him on the line from the beginning of season through his annual trapping trip to Arizona and then trapping beaver under ice. The film was made in the 1960s and originally on 8 mm film, then VHS and finally digitized on DVD. It is a silent film with musical overlay. Okey communicates with the audience through written messages. It is in color and is a great companion piece to this book. See a legend actually working at his trade and racking up the catches. I think the best part of the DVD is watching Okey play with his pet fox and seeing the fox jump on Okey’s back.
\n\nYou will find contradicting information in this book. If two different sources had different information that I could not confirm either, I left them as they were. Two items that had contradicting information from many different sources was Okey’s date of birth and height. His date of birth was December 6, 1897. I think the issue with this being misreported comes from an article done in 1962 titled “He Sells Sly Smells.” I put this article first in the book as it gives a good overview of Okey’s life, but I think the author tried to make the article more interesting by saying Okey was born in 1901 and therefore underage when he signed up for the U.S. Navy in 1917. Many of the sources show 1901 as his date of birth.
\n\nThe second is Okey’s height which is reported anywhere from 5 foot 11 inches to 6 foot 4 inches. I think it leans toward the latter as he usually towers above people in photographs.
\nI included photographs that were in articles. If I had scanned an original photograph that was in an article, I used the original instead of the copy from the magazine.
There were also groupings of photographs which seemed to be “on the same roll.” If there were photographs that seemed to be taken at the same time, I tried to put all of them together.
\nMost of the photographs in this book were taken by Okey or Alice. They not only share information about trapping but also the private side of Okey’s life. Lots of photographs in this book which I hope you enjoy.
George L. “Chuck” Herter was an interesting man to say the least, but his interesting nature may have been spawned by mental health issues. This book includes discussions on inferiority complex, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar issues. These discussions should not provide any reason to discount his contributions and should instead say that he made these contributions, in spite of, not because of, these issues. That being said, George’s controversial viewpoints should not be condoned because of these issues.
\n
\nTo provide a complete understanding of his uniqueness, comments are provided by others who may not have been aware of his mental health issues. These positions and opinions are not necessarily shared by the author but are included to provide a perceptional overview of the man, from all perspectives.
\n
\nI did not fact check all quotes made by George. You may find contradictions with what George said one time to the next.
\n
\nI included the good, the bad and the onery in this book. The good is George’s younger life when the town of Waseca cherished their hometown son and he had dreams of being an outdoor artist. He seemed to be a well-adjusted young man with the height of George’s social interactions occurring when he attended the University of Minnesota. Building on his interest in being a cartoonist, George drew at least sixty images for the Ski-U-Mah at the University of Minnesota. I included several in this book. The bad is George’s life during and after World War II where Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought out mental health issues such as being Bipolar. The onery includes George’s sparing with attorneys during his many court battles.
\n
\nGeorge was involved in at least ten court battles. Some he won, some he lost and some were a draw. The court battles with D.H. Blair & Company, Remington Arms Company, Woodstream and The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay were particularly interesting when looking at the sparing George did with the attorneys. I included this sparing verbatim to show the unique character that George was. Nothing shows a person’s personality better than the words that came directly out of their mouth.
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\nDuring these court hearings, George was quite evasive about answering all questions but particularly those about the history of the business. In the Hudson’s Bay Company case after Seeburg had taken over, many of the business facts were shared and included in this book.
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\nDuring the D.H. Blair & Company case, George provided a self-diagnosis of having an inferiority complex. An inferiority complex is a deep-seated, chronic feeling of inadequacy or insecurity, often stemming from childhood experiences, trauma, or social pressures, which can lead to social withdrawal or overcompensation through aggressive, perfectionist, or competitive behaviors. This would drive George to build the business to the level he did using the methods he used.
\n
\nAlthough much of George’s issues are pointed to World War II as the turning point in his personality. This may have been the trigger, but I think the underlaying of these issues came from his early life and feeling of inferiority when having to follow his father’s wide path of success along with his mother and sister’s success as well.
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\nBased on activities and involvement in the World War I fund drive and the push for law enforcement, George’s father could be thought of as a stern and authoritative figure which could easily conflict with George’s free-spirited personality causing a rift discussed by Jacques. Berthe noted that George’s mother was tough on him as well. George said during the D.H. Blair & Company case that he would not fire or punish those who stole money or products from Herter’s, or press charges.
\n
\nI intentionally tried to keep comments from his books and catalogs out of this book unless noted by other sources, as these can be obtained through commercial outlets. My goal was to provide insight into the man and his influence on the outdoor world. I hope I attained this goal, but you be the judge. It was a challenge that can only be started with George’s own words.
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\nI don’t want to be known and rarely tell people my right name. I never allow anyone to take my picture.
Go back in time a hundred years, look through the camera lens and see what Dick saw.\nRead how a hard working man made an honest living from the outdoors by trapping, hunting, fishing, writing and photography.
\n\nTag along with Dick when he worked for the Triumph Trap Company from 1917 to 1921. Learn about employees including Holdridge Greene, Albert E. “Bob” Kinsley, and Frances E. Adams. This chapter is over 60 pages long.
\n\nFollow along as he traps in the Adirondack Mountains around Racquette Lake, Big Moose Lake, the Boreas River and the Cold River; along the St. Lawrence River in New York; in Tennessee; in Maryland; in Virginia and in Michigan from 1909 to 1921. Meet and see photographs of the trappers that influenced and accompanied him including EJ Dailey, Bill Randall, Bill Wood, Lute Trim, Raymond Smiley Spears, Walter A. Gibbs, Rolland Ames and others. See photographs of Ansil Dailey, EJ’s son who died in 1965.
\n\nGo hunting with Dick as he harvests deer, bear, squirrel, rabbit and duck. Dick was a waterfowl hunter at heart and loved jump shooting ducks as he floated down a river. Go duck hunting down the Tennessee River with Dick. The area he frequently hunted was the portion of the river which is now part of Chickamauga Lake. Dick hunted deer in the Adirondacks north of Racquette Lake, Potter County in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
\n\nTake a motor camping trip with Dick and his family covering twelve states during five months in 1925. The trip included a varying quality of roads from mud to paved. The family crossed rivers on ferries and battled flat tires along with mud caused by major storms. The U.S. road system back then was a lot different than today’s road systems.
\n\nTag along with Dick as he fishes all over the United States and Canada for all species. His true love was dry fly fishing for trout. Dick learned how to dry fly fish from Willard Spenser Jr. of Ohio. Dick often fished for trout with Ernest H. Peckinpaugh from Chattanooga in the Smoky Mountains. Dick and Peck fished the Little and Little Pigeon rivers. Dick fished the North River with Fred Davis and Chris Zahnd. They also fished the Tellico River along with Dwight Taylor and Cosby Darwin. Included are several fishing photographs from the late 1910s through the 1960s.
\n\nCanoe with Dick and Jack Burris through the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota in 1925. They covered the two hundred mile trip in thirteen days.
\n\nDick wrote articles for at least 77 different magazines including Hunter Trader Trapper, Fur News and Outdoor World, Sports Afield, Field and Stream, Fur Fish Game, National Sportsman and Hunting & Fishing. These articles covered topics including trapping, hunting, fishing, camping, photography plus many others. He also wrote at least three books.
\n\nLearn about the Outdoor Writers Association of America and Dick’s involvement in its creation and his continued involvement until his passing.
\n\nOver 300 of Dick’s articles were referenced and titles included in a chronological list so readers can follow his progression as a writer. Over 400 references in all.
\n\nVintage black and white photographs taken by Dick are included with many either never seen by the public or published years ago and forgotten. The photographs are from 1915 to the 1970s.
\n\nAll this information in a 310-page book with 260 photographs.
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